The present invention relates to electronic applications in eyewear, and more particularly relates to a novel construction in electrically conductive eyewear frames.
There are at present many different electronic applications for eyewear intended for both entertaining and utilitarian functions. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,451 flashing LED's are placed about the front frame of an eyewear to create an entertaining visual effect. More importantly, examples of electronic utilitarian applications include electrooptical devices applied to eyewear such as electrochromic (EC) and liquid nematic crystals to control light transmissivity through the eyewear lenses (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,455,637 and 5,276,539, respectively), heat-generating resistors for anti-fogging of the lenses (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,533), and devices which change the optical properties of the lenses which affect vision through the lenses (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,885). Still other utilitarian applications of electronics in an eyewear frame include hearing devices (e.g., hearing aids, such as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,393) and devices which project an image on the back-side of a lens for viewing by the wearer (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,428).
Despite the decades of work in this art, there remains a need for an electrically conductive framework for eyewear which successfully integrates both form and function. Location of the power source, logic and switching controls in combination with electrically connecting and routing these and other components through the eyewear frame pose enormous design challenges due to the size constraints and need for a portable, closed system for eyewear. Furthermore, the electronic design must be readily adaptable to changes (sometimes drastic) in eyewear styles popular from year to year.